Seeking the Lily
by FlamingQuill
Summary: Lily lived in a perfect world, with a perfect lover. When a new, strange man enters their garden, how far will her lover go to rescue her? What must she do?
1. The Fall

In the beginning, there was love. Love abounding, love overflowing. In love's perfect circle, beauty is seen and sewn, that love may delight in the radiance of what it has wrought. As an artist paints and as a father longs for children, love delighted to create. And so, love created a race to show love to, and which would love Him in return. This, then, is their story.

The day was perfection in all of its glory. The robins hopped over the ground, seeking out juicy worms to feed to their young, all the flowers were in bloom, and the delicious smell of cedars flavored the playful zephyrs. Two sets of footsteps padded softly down the garden path. The two who made them spoke not, simply walking side by side, perfectly content in their love. The woman turned a playful smile on the Man, and the Man returned it. He squeezed her hand, and their walk continued on.

The Man paused, and pointed off the trail. The woman looked, and giggled in delight. A pair of fox kits, closely monitored by their mother, were growling and wrestling with each other. As the woman looked on, smiling and laughing at the comical sight, the Man studied her face with a tender expression. The woman caught His eye. The Man's lip curled, and He planted a sweet kiss upon her lips, which she returned gladly.

"Let's go home," He whispered.

"Okay." she replied. She had no regrets for leaving the garden. She had no need to ever regret anything. She was happy to be anywhere, if the anywhere in question contained her lover, and it almost always did. He seldom left her side. But He always guarded over her. All was as it should be.

It was on one of these days when her lover was away that something unusual happened. The woman lay beside the garden pond around evening, listening to the frogs and the crickets. A set of footsteps made their way toward her. She looked up, expecting to see her lover, but it was another. A stranger, whom she was quite sure had never before set foot in the garden. He was tall, as was her lover, dark-haired while her lover fair, blue-eyes while her lover green. These eyes were trained on her intently as he approached. He paused, and bowed.

"My lady," he murmured, his head still inclined.

The woman got to her feet. "I don't think I've had the honor of meeting you here before, sir," she replied, smiling. "May I have the pleasure of your name?"

"Lucifer," he replied, offering his hand. The woman accepted, and he brought her hand to his lips. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady-"

"Lily," she supplied.

"-Lily." he murmured, and brushed her skin with his lips. He released her hand. "What a lovely gown you have, my dear. Pray, who gave it to you?"

"My lover, the King." Lily replied, fingering the pure lace cuff, which was sewn to the end of a long graceful sleeve, in turn, connected to a beautiful, simple, radiant white dress. Her feet were bare, but on her head rested a delicate tiara of white gold.

"Oh yes, the King." Lucifer said. There was something strange in his voice.

Lily's face took on a look of concern. "Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"No, nothing at all, my lady." Lucifer answered quickly. "I was simply thinking that you must be the one, since you are engaged to the King."

"The one?" Lily inquired.

"The one I was sent to search for." Lucifer clarified, smiling. "Your lover sent me to retrieve you. You are to come with me, He is in another land."

Lily's smile faltered. "He sent you to get me? To another land?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes. We must waste no time of it, either. He is much yearning to see you."

"But-" Lily began.

"But my lady, we must be leaving at once."

"But He said to never leave this place. He said He would always come for me..."

Lucifer shrugged. "Apparently, He has changed his mind. At any rate, we are to be off immediately."

"But you don't understand! He said _never_ to leave, or I would die!"

Lucifer raised his eyebrow. Lily wasn't sure she liked him very well. "Surely you wouldn't die by setting foot outside the trees? He must have been exaggerating. Perhaps He was worried you'd wander off?"

Lily was vastly troubled by this news. Her lover had never exaggerated before, and He had never expressed distrust for her... Well, she'd go to Him. She'd go to Him, and ask Him why He had done these things. Lily felt tears develop at the corners of her eyes. But she wished she could know now...

"My dear, it's all right!" Lucifer crooned, taking her in his arms and stroking her back comfortingly. Lily felt her muscles tense at his contact, but she did not pull away. "There's no need for tears! We will be with him soon," he whispered, running his fingers delicately through her hair. He moved his mouth over her ear. "And you can ask Him about it then," he whispered.

He drew back and looked into her face. He smiled reassuringly, and traced her jawline with his index finger. Lily dried her eyes, and nodded. Lucifer beamed. "Good! Then let's be off."

Lily walked toward the apple tree, intent on gathering provisions, but Lucifer called her back. "We can manage fine enough, you don't need to bring anything. There will be plenty to eat along the way." Lily smiled, and took his hand. "But you'll need to leave your crown behind," Lucifer added hastily.

Lily frowned slightly. "Why? My Lord said never to remove it."

Lucifer laughed, and stroked her shoulder. "My dear, you would not be pleased if you were to mislay it along the way, would you? It is of great value to you, I can see." Lily saw the wisdom of this, and removed the crown from her head. She padded over to the side of the pond, and laid it upon her favorite sitting rock. She paused. She felt a bit of misgiving, taking it off, but then, Lucifer was right. She'd be devastated if she lost it.

"Are you ready, my lady?" Lucifer asked, holding out a gloved hand to escort her. Lily smiled, and nodded. She placed her hand in his. "Good," Lucifer said, looking ahead and beginning to walk. "Excellent."

Lily had once thought that the region of the garden was endless, stretching out forever in any direction. But it took a surprisingly short time to reach the boundary. When they did, Lily froze. Lucifer turned a concerned look on her.

"I can't do this!" she wailed. She gripped his arm, and pleaded with him. "Can't I just wait until the King returns home? Surely He doesn't wish me to traverse this desolate land!" What stretched out seemingly endless in any direction was not in the least bit pleasant. It was the first land of its kind that Lily had ever laid eyes on. The very sight of it filled her heart with terror. There was no grass, and the ground was baked so that it more resembled stone than soil. Bits of burnt dead wood littered the ground everywhere, and the few trees that dared live there were gnarled, twisted and black with no leaves to offer shelter. The sky was filled with clouds, turned a bloody red from the setting sun.

"Do you want to see Him again or not?" Lucifer snapped. He jerked her around in front of him. "Well?" he demanded. "Do you?" Lily, sobbing again, nodded. Lucifer relaxed, and embraced her. "Then you must leave the garden," he whispered, barely audible over her racking sobs.

"But He said never to!" Lily wailed.

"But now, He has said that you must join Him. And to join Him, you must leave!" Lucifer snarled impatiently. "Now, are you going to obey Him, or are you going to sit there sniveling?"

"I don't want to go!" Lily wailed.

Lucifer pushed her roughly away from him, and she stumbled and fell onto the grass, weeping bitterly. "Then you don't love Him, wretch!" He sneered. "You'll see. He'll be in a temper when He returns. He will be so angry with you, He will cast you out regardless! And then you won't even have _Him_ to console you!" Lucifer turned on his heel, and marched smartly away.

"Wait!" Lily screamed. Lucifer paused, his back still to her. A sardonic smile was on his lips. But he wiped it away before he turned back around.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I'll come with you," Lily wept. She got staggering to her feet. "I'll come." Lucifer pulled out a fine silk handkerchief, and dried Lily's tears.

"Then why all this fuss?" Lucifer asked, laughing with a smile. He put his arm around her shoulders, and led her across the border.

The ground outside was hot. The moment Lily's feet rested on it, she let out a scream of pain. And she wasn't the only one. As Lucifer scooped her up in his arms, a howl such as had never been uttered before split the air. In it, was discernible one word: _Lily. _It was the voice of her lover.

His terrible cries of "LILY!" echoed around the barren landscape. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TRUST ME?" Lily's soul filled with dread. What would He do to her?

"Run," she pleaded with Lucifer. "Please, run! He'll kill me if He finds me!"

Lucifer grinned. Lily blanched. "Lucifer?" she asked in a frightened voice.

"He's your problem," he shouted, laughing. He threw her from his arms, and with a shriek, she landed in a heap on the scorching ground. "Run, wretch!" Lucifer howled, laughing. "He's your problem now!"

"No! Please!" Lily pleaded. Lucifer made a sardonic bow, and vanished before Lily's eyes.


	2. I Will Redeem Her

Lily struggled to her feet, yelping as her soft skin touched the hot ground. She finally managed to limp to her feet, dancing on the balls of her feet, attempting to keep them from being scorched.

On a sudden whim, Lily turned to look for one last time into the garden, the lovely haven to which she could never again return. She blinked, and turned about in a circle, searching in every direction. She was surrounded by the merciless, endless wasteland. The garden was gone.

Lily stifled a sob, and looked imploringly into the blood-red sky. "Isn't it enough that I have betrayed my lover and gone with another?" she asked the land hollowly. "Now must the place of our bliss also perish for my deed?"

The garden was still there, where it had always been, and where it always would be, but Lily's eyes couldn't see it. For when she had given Lucifer the trust once given to her lover, she had also given him herself. She was his slave; and the slaves of Lucifer were not allowed to look on the glory of the garden.

_Well,_ Lily thought, _I can't stay here any longer, the King might find me. And how long can I survive without shelter in this place? The sky looks almost ready to rain down fire._ So, she chose a direction at random, and set off, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind.

~*~

It was raining in the garden. Dark, heavy thunderheads poured out their wrath on the trees and the flowers, while the animals hid under the thick boughs. The King was angry.

Inside the castle, He paced back and forth, to and fro. "Lucifer!" he snarled. "Come here, NOW."

Immediately, Lucifer appeared, in his true form. The tall, handsome, dark-haired form who had charmed Lily was gone. What appeared before the Lord was grotesque, and man-like only in vague form. He was hairless, pale, and turning to rot. Great chunks of his flesh had eroded away, and several ribs shone plainly through his torn, filthy scrap of a robe. He bowed, a sarcastic grin on what was left of his lips.

"I am here, Your Majesty," he crooned. It was clear from his voice and affect that he held no regard whatsoever for the mighty one before him. But a lower tone to his voice suggested something that his manner hid. Terror. Sheer, absolute terror. But despite this, his insolence burned clear and hot in his voice. "My, my, Highness, You seem agitated. Have You lost something?" he smirked. "Can I maybe help You find it?"

Before Lucifer could blink one of the few eyelashes he had left, the King seized his shoulders, and slammed him hard against the wall. Lucifer cringed, in spite of himself. The King's eyes blazed with fury, and his breath smelled like Frankincense, to Lucifer the most putrid and unbearable of odors. "She was a stupid whore for following me." Lucifer muttered. "It's her fault for believing me."

"You will not go unpunished." The Lord whispered. "This is a terrible crime you have committed." The next words made Lucifer close his eyes in horror. "_I am a just king._"

"It's not fair!" Lucifer wailed. "Everyone should have what they're capable of getting. It's not fair! She's mine! She followed _me._" He grinned, now. "She chose _me._" He laughed. "And there's nothing that You can do about that, because You're too weak to force her to come back." The King released his shoulders. Lucifer rubbed them, to try to eliminate those accursed _good_ sensations the King had so cruelly inflicted him with. Harsh, cruel memories of a time long gone. _And good riddance,_ Lucifer thought- though not without regret to the benefits he'd left behind.

"You have made her distrustful of Me." The King said, turning His back on the foul creature. "Her eyes have been deceived, and her body has been harmed." He turned back around, and there was a twinkle in his eyes that made Lucifer shudder in revulsion. He was so hideously _beautiful_. He had sleek, powerful muscles with no excess fat, glorious, snowy-white clothing that fit Him perfectly, contrasting beautifully with His flawless bronze skin; deep green eyes full of life and warmth set wonderfully in the chiseled, high cheek-boned face. Lucifer couldn't stand Him. Just the thought of Him made Lucifer quake in fear.

"She has become defiled by your lands," the King continued. "She will commit many shameful acts that cause me great pain. And yet," the King's smile shone like the sunlight, "and yet, _I will redeem her._"

This was too much for Lucifer to take. He leapt to his feet, and let loose a howl of fury. "She's mine!" he snarled, beating against his own chest in his rage. "She's MINE! I took her! She came to ME! You can't have her! I won't let You!" His fists pounded impotently against the ivory wall. "Your love is disgusting!" he shrieked. "DISGUSTING! I WON'T allow it in MY kingdom! You can't come in! I won't let you!"

The King took all this abuse calmly, His pleasant smile never wavering. When Lucifer finally stopped, panting and swearing, He replied, "You rule the land _you_ desecrated as long as I permit you, Lucifer."

Lucifer laughed wildly, and thrust half a finger under the King's nose. "If you kill me while she remains in my arms, she'll still be mine! She'll die with me, and she'll never come back to you! NEVER! She can't. She'll be my concubine." Lucifer grinned at the King's revulsion. "And I'll ravage her. Again, and again. Forever. And ever. And ever." Lucifer laughed, and savored the thought. "She'll long for death, but death will have already come, and there will be no escape. She will be torn and bloody, crude and unrecognizable as the stunning white beauty she once used to be. For not one day will she be neglected. When I tire of her at last," Lucifer grinned, as if indicating that this would take a very long time, "then I will give her over to my people to play with."

The King's eyes were narrowed. "_No such thing will happen._" He said softly. "She is My beloved, and I am hers. No matter how you deceive her, no matter how you beat her, you cannot change that." Lucifer hissed in fury, bowed sarcastically, and left.

The King sighed, and shook his head in slight frustration as He left the room. He had the capability to simply reach out, and draw her back to Him, but He wouldn't do it. She would remain distrustful and flighty, wishing that she could remain in the land she had chosen to live in. No, He had to honor her decision. _But,_ He thought as he reached the armory, and buckled on sword and armor, _that doesn't mean I can't remind her who I am._

Lucifer stormed away from that place, muttering curses to himself and snarling. His fists clenched and unclenched, and he vowed to give the first of his subjects he met a good long stretch on the rack. The screams and pleading would calm him down. But for now, his heart beat a relentless, vicious staccato. He had no power over the King, he knew. It was a hated thought, but he knew it nonetheless. The brute was infinitely stronger than he, and His kingdom had no weak points.

At least, Lucifer smirked, not until recently. He reached into one of his grubby pockets, and fished something out. It was a dagger, polished until it shone like a mirror.

"Oh, little flower," he sang softly as he stroked the handle, "delicate little Lily, what has happened to thy petals? They wilt and dry and glide to the ground, to be trampled underfoot by the world around thee. Oh, how fleeting is thy beauty!" he laughed, and as he stroked the handle once more, an image flickered on the blade. It was a young woman, barefoot, wearing a white-gold tiara and a beautiful white gown. She smiled a youthful smile, and her laughter rang like a silver bell.

Lucifer's eyes slitted, and his foul teeth bared in a ravenous grin. He stroked the handle again, and the girl vanished. She returned, but in none of her former glory. Gone was the gown and tiara that once gilded her; now she stood filthy, scarred, and naked. Her hair was matted with grease and blood, every vein in her eyes throbbed swollen and red in the yellowed whites. Her body was covered in muck and ash. Her hands and feet were calloused, and blackened with dirt, and the nails were cracked and torn, the quick beneath shriveling and dying. On her shoulder was tattooed a black number one. She had become the head prostitute. A gleaming necklace hung between her breasts, a ruby model of the gargantuan idol of her new king whom she worshiped in the temple on whose steps she sat. Her smile was coy, and her eyes teasing. As a man passed her by, she called out to him, and he accepted her proposal. Lucifer replaced the knife in his pocket, laughing coldly.

Oh, the King would never want her back when _he_ was done with her. Once he had fulfilled his plans for her, she would be the most revolting thing the King had ever laid eyes on. By the time He arrived, she would be propositioning Him. He would never be able to look on her again.

"Jirgath!" Lucifer snapped as he stepped out onto his own land. A large black spider scuttled toward him, and bowed, as best as a creature with eight legs could. "Set up a welcoming party for our new subject," Lucifer ordered, a sneer curving his thin lips. "She is very lonely," Lucifer's eyes narrowed in pleasure; "and _scared_. See if you can calm her nerves." The spider bowed again, and scurried off toward the city. Lucifer sat, and leaned casually against a burning rock. He pulled out the dagger again, and watched.


	3. Call on My Name

Lily never knew she could run so fast. Of course, up to this point in time, she had never had a need to. But she sure did now.

The heat blisters on her feet had long since burst, and the blood which flowed was beginning to congeal. It hurt, but now she had at least some layer of protection against the burning ground. But she didn't notice that any more, the screams of agony running up her legs were ignored as she dodged and weaved through the boulders and scraggly trees (it seemed that she was in some poor imitation of a woodland) trying desperately to get away.

They had clubs, swords, and chains. Chains that were meant for her. They were heavy, crude, cruel things, wrought of cold iron. Also clutched tightly in the hand of one of the things was a ragged leather bag, whose contents were unknown.

"HELP!" Lily screamed as she ran. "Somebody, help me PLEASE!" In this moment where her full concentration slipped slightly from her path, her foot snagged on one of the pitiful tree roots. Ceasing her motion was not a simple thing to do. Her foot was secure, but the rest of her body remained poised in flight. The result was that she sprawled headlong, scraping her knees, elbows, and cheek. She was quite sure that her foot was, if not broken, badly sprained.

Her enemies had not been far behind her. Now, they were upon her. Lily pulled herself into a ball, shielding her head with her arms as their shadows loomed over her. The tallest, a strange sort of creature that looked like a man with a vulture's head, with a pig's snout rather than a beak, raised his ponderous club. Lily tensed, waiting for the blow.

_Twang_. A shrill, brief whine. And then, a thud. But it was not of the club. Lily looked up tentatively. A arrow, finely-crafted of solid gold and fletched with swan feathers impaled the brute through the heart. As she watched, its knees buckled, and she rolled out of the way as it toppled forward.

The other creatures which had also raised their weapons had frozen. Although their faces were so inhuman that it would be nearly impossible to read any hypothetical emotion, it was plain to see that they were terrified. And hardly any wonder that they were.

Lily turned her head slowly, but already knew what she would see.

Before all of them stood, glowing as a torch with radiant, pure light, was the figure of a man clothed in steel, wielding a sword of bright flame. So bright was His light that Lily had to place her hand before her eyes to see Him at all properly. The creatures as one began to squawk, whinny, roar or hiss. They fell prostrate before Him, whimpering in various ways and quivering like autumn leaves. Lily herself was seized with terror, and she found herself joining the others in desperate groveling.

His sandals crunched on the dead, dry ground as He approached her. He bent down, and lifted her chin delicately.

"Lily." He whispered. "Why did you leave Me? Why didn't you obey Me? Haven't I always told you never to stray into the outlying lands?"

"It's not my fault!" Lily wailed, shrinking away from his tender touch. "I was tricked! Lucifer tricked me! He said You wanted me to go to You..." she turned her eyes downward, and wept.

"Dear one," the King whispered. His voice was like a gentle breeze, caressing her in sweet tendrils. "Have you ever known Me to wish you harm?" Lily remained silent. "When you saw the land, didn't you realize that I would never have sent you into such a place?" Lily stared at the ground, too ashamed to speak. The King sighed. "My love, I wish you hadn't done that."

"Might I go back, and forget about this awful place with its horrid peoples?"

He reached out, and stroked her jawline. "It isn't as simple as that, I'm afraid. You can't return to the Garden." He said, and now His voice broke slightly. Lily's eyes widened in anger. "I wish it were," He added, noting this.

"No you don't." Lily snapped, shoving her way to her feet, and beginning to pace like a caged lioness. Back, and forth. Back, and forth, fists clenching and unclenching as she sought for words. "All You care about... is Yourself! All You care about is the fact that I was dumb enough to disobey You! You won't even put that behind us and save me!" she turned around, and thrust a finger accusingly in His face. "You said You loved me." Lily's lip quivered. "You said I mattered."

"You have had your say." The King replied, His voice not loosing even a trace of its gentleness. "Now, allow Me to have Mine." He stood, and looked her deeply in the eyes, despite the fact that she was avoiding His. "I do care about You. This is why I cannot allow you back into the Garden." Lily started to interrupt, but He held up a finger. "You made a choice. A choice which is irrevocable. You chose to leave the home which I provided for you."

"Well I choose to go back now!" Lily whined.

"That is not possible now. You have disobeyed the King. There are penalties, penalties which cannot be thrust aside, even for you. Believe Me," He whispered as Lily's eyes filled with furious tears, "I would love to do it. But I can't." Lily shook her head in horrified disbelief, and started to storm away, but the King caught her hand. "But I _will_ save you." He promised. "Whatever you know, know this. I _will_ redeem you."

"Then do it," Lily whispered.

"At its appropriate time."He replied.

"This IS the appropriate time!" Lily wailed.

The King chuckled softly, a sound which in the past warmed her through and through, but now just made her angry. "Darling, you know little of which times are appropriate or not." Lily's lips pursed, and she began to stomp off. Once again, she was stopped by His gentle hand.

"If you ever need help," He offered, "call on My name, and I will save you." He let her go, and Lily turned her back sharply on Him, and walked briskly away. The shadows returned. Lily her head. The King had vanished. The creatures too had gone. She was alone again.

It was not until long afterward that she realized that all of her broken foot along with all of her other injuries had been healed.


	4. Wretch

**Author's Note:** Here, finally, is the next chapter; be sure to thank Octavius Kaiser Scott for prompting me to continue. While this is not the type of motivation I seek, it is, nonetheless, motivation. Thank you Lord for getting me going again!

Lily stomped angrily through the wilderness for a while, but then exchanged this for a lighter walk to try to protect herself from the burning ground. Angry tears filled her eyes once more. He didn't care about her. He had just let her walk away from Him. And He wouldn't even let her go home...

So absorbed was she in her angry thoughts and self-pity, the young man's voice caught her completely off guard.

"Are you lost, Miss Lily?" the voice was smooth and silky, but it made her jump nonetheless. She whirled around, wincing at the pain of the pressure on her feet. It was Lucifer who stood before her, as handsome as ever. At the moment, he wore a look of concern and pity. His arms twitched, as if he had just held himself back from embracing her.

"He won't let me go home," Lily said softly, the tears sliding gently down her cheek. She looked at the ground. "All I did was leave home. It wasn't even _that_ much of a-" _betrayal._ The word stuck in her throat, and she didn't manage to voice it.

"It was a mistake," Lucifer said gently, approaching her with open arms. When she made no effort to pull away, he embraced her softly. His touch was cold, and made her tense. But as he stroked her golden hair, the feeling melted away into numbness. "He was rather harsh on you." Something in Lily's heart stirred with discomfort. She felt something was wrong... but whenever she reached with her mind to explore it, the thing would slip elusively just beyond her grasp. She felt that Lucifer had done something to her... but no... Lucifer was a sensitive, caring man. He would take care of her, even when the One whom she had once loved refused her what she wanted. As she mused, Lucifer continued to speak to her gently and reassuringly. "If He doesn't want you back in His kingdom," he crooned, "He must not love you."

"No, I suppose not." Lily murmured in reply. She felt wretched. Why did the King have to be so...

"Unfair." Lucifer said, as if he had heard her thoughts. Something inside her told her that he hadn't, however. He was just very good at guessing.

"Yes, He _is_ unfair." Lily agreed. Lucifer leaned back to look her in the eye. He smiled.

There was something strange about that smile, Lily sensed. Beautiful as the features were, there was... something about them. Something lurking just out of sight... Lily gazed into his eyes. They had a _hungry_ sort of sheen to them... it repulsed her. And yet, it drew her. It was dark. Strange. Fascinating. While Lily was trying to sort out her feelings for him, Lucifer broke her chain of thought. He leaned forward, and kissed her.

This kiss was unlike anything Lily had ever experienced. The contact on her lips was like a vice. It was so cold, that if Lily had been able to see the scene from outside herself, she would have noticed her lips turning blue. She whimpered, and tried to pull away, but Lucifer's arms were very strong. They pulled her to him so that her body was flat against his. His jaw moved as if chewing, like he was searching for something deep, deep inside of her. And then, Lily opened her eyes wide in panic. Large portions of Lucifer's skin seemed to have melted away. She could see one of his high cheekbones poking out through the chalky-white skin, and below it, the inside of his mouth. Inside, _something_ slithered. Acid green scales spotted with a bright, poisonous yellow slithered from inside it's master's mouth into Lily's.

Every inch that the snake slithered down her throat, Lily became less aware of the situation. Her heart throbbed with excitement, and she started to kiss Lucifer back vigorously. Her eyes rolled back in her head in her thrill. To her disappointment, however, he pulled out of the kiss. Anger and disappointment surged into her.

"Kiss me again!" she demanded, flattening herself against him once more. "Give me more. Now!"

Lucifer laughed, but didn't give her what she wanted. "Later. First, I must show you your new home. And then, you can have as much as you want." he winked. His beauty had returned when he'd pulled out of the kiss. Then, he looked her up and down in distaste. "But first things first," he muttered, "we need to get you some new clothes."

Lily, shocked, looked down at herself. "What is this hideous, disgusting rag I'm wearing?" she spat, staring in horror at the beautiful white gown she was adorned with. It was a little dirty, and ripped in several places now, but it still retained much of it's former glory. "I look like a filthy animal!" Her fingers began to tear at the garment, ripping it and shredding it until it lay in mangled strips at her feet.

"Well, you still look like a cow," Lucifer said thoughtfully, looking her unadorned body up and down a couple more times. "But it'll have to do for now. When we return to my castle, I'll arrange for some proper clothes."

"Oh, thank you Lucifer," Lily crooned, moving closer to him and staring adoringly into his face. "You're so kind. I'm sure the clothes will be lovely."

Lucifer grinned. "The best in the kingdom, my dear." He took her hand, and started to lead her. Lily's feet were still burning. She cried out in pain after a few steps.

"Lucifer, could you carry me?" she asked plaintively.

He blinked, then grinned. "Certainly." He scooped her up in his arms, and set off again. Lily was just feeling safe and secure, when... first it was one finger. And then, all the rest slipped, and she found herself falling to the ground. The skin of her back seemed to burst into an inferno of agony as the ground caught her. Angry red blisters began to develop along her legs, and the scream that burst forth was almost as loud as the King's fury had been when He had called Lucifer. Screaming and sobbing in pain, Lily crawled to Lucifer's feet. She looked at him, weeping and pleading for him to help her; her pleas punctuated by wails of agony. He looked down at her, eyes glinting as he laughed.

"Whoops." he whispered as she sobbed for her bleeding legs, back and hands. Lily reached for his hand to try to get up, but so suddenly she could barely have seen it, Lucifer's hard leather boot shot up and kicked her painfully in the face, sending her sprawling once more. "You are my slave." He snarled. "You shall not touch me, you shall assume the proper position before your king." Still crying and screaming, Lily prostrated herself before him; on her knees, hands reaching out, and face to the ground. "Who are you!" Lucifer bellowed, leaning down so that his mouth was against her ear.

"I am your slave, Master!" Lily wailed, cringing against his anger.

"What is your name!"

"I don't remember, beloved king!" she sobbed.

"From this day, you will answer to Wretch. Your name is Wretch."

"Wretch," she whimpered.

"You are worthless, do you understand me? Worthless!"

"Oh, so worthless, kind master!" she answered, blood-covered back racking with the power of her grief.

"Good." Lucifer whispered, straightening up with a debonair smile. "I'm glad we understand each other." He walked past her. "Follow me." he ordered.

Crying from her wounds, Wretch followed in a crawl.


	5. Drifting on the Breeze, a Voice

A glistening teardrop shimmered as it descended through the air, seeming just as woeful as the one who had created it. Another joined it, and then another, each rolling from a perfectly formed cheekbone and down a gentle yet firm jaw, quivering, and then finally falling to join its fellows.

"Lily..." a soft voice murmured, choked with grief. "You kissed him... If only you hadn't done that... now, you may never be able to escape." A pair of tender brown eyes watched from afar as the once beautiful, now broken woman crawled bloody across the merciless dust, pursuing so desperately that which could only cause her pain. "Lily..." He whispered.

As the blazing dust swirled about her, Wretch paused in her crawl. Her eyes clouded in confusion, and her head turned slightly in one direction. Lucifer seemed to notice at once that she wasn't following him. He froze, and turned on his heel. His face looked livid. But underneath the anger was something rather surprising. For all his fearsomeness and arrogance, a feeling appeared to be creeping up on him, stealing his breath. Behind the blazing fury in his eyes, fear crouched like a small boy facing a terrible lion.

"What are you listening to, you stupid woman?" He shrieked, trying desperately to conceal with volume the soft voice floating on the breeze. Over and over again, it chanted, _Lily, Lily._ Wretch's eyes were vacant and distant. She gave no sign that she had even heard Lucifer.

"That voice," she murmured, and began to push herself to her feet. "I... _remember_ it from somewhere..."

"No, you don't!" Lucifer snarled. He reached out a gloved hand and slapped her so hard she fell back to the ground. She whimpered there and curled into a ball. Lucifer loomed over her, dark and menacing. "You listen to me, Wretch," he growled, making her cower all the more, "that voice that you hear is bad. If you listen to it, it will take you away from me and it will devour you." Suddenly, all sign of anger and threat vanished altogether. Lucifer bent down, and stroked her jaw softly. A caring smile warmed his features. "It will hurt you," he whispered. "It doesn't love you like I do. No one could ever love you like I do." His smile was so sweet, so innocent. Wretch could not refuse it. She moved out of her protective position, and sat up, and gazed deep into Lucifer's eyes. The fear had been concealed now. What glinted at her was something new. She didn't know what it was, but she found herself wanting to find out. With a hungry passion, she vowed to explore it, to ride the dragon, to flirt with the danger... A fire burned inside of her now, and all she found herself wanting was to make the flames billow as high as possible.

However, something strange seemed to hold her back slightly. What was it? Wretch tried to identify it as she and Lucifer looked into each other's eyes. Fear? No, she wasn't afraid. At least, not in the normal sense of the word... It was like fear, but different somehow... more like... _dread._ But even that did not seem to encompass what she felt. It was not dread in the sense that one would dread a ravenous beast, it was different even from that. It was a dread of something strange, something unfathomable. But it was the simple quality of being unfathomable that inspired the dread. Like the dread of a ghostly apparition. Perhaps awe was a better word. Yes, that was it. But not just awe. It was a blend of dread and awe. A curious feeling indeed. And what was more, it seemed not to approve of Lucifer.

But really, which would she be wiser to listen to: some fleeting feeling, or the one who was in the process of saving her? Upon her own wisdom, or lack thereof (though this thought never occurred to her), Wretch decided to trust what was apparent to her senses. She smiled at Lucifer, receiving a grin in return. Lucifer stood, and offered her a hand up. Wretch accepted it, and was pulled to her feet.

"Come with me, and see the kingdom's capital!" Lucifer entreated her grandly, pointing with a sweeping gesture at a great walled city in the distance. "We have many distractions that I'm sure you will enjoy."

Wretch batted her eyelashes. "I'm sure that if you say that, I _will_ enjoy them." Lucifer lifted her filthy, bruised, bloody hand to his lips and kissed it as gently as if it were made of glass. None of her soil seemed to stain him, but Wretch felt sure somehow that if it had, he wouldn't have minded.

"Then come, my dear, and imbibe in the choice fruits of my domain." Wretch fell into step with him. The gentle voice on the breeze faded gradually from her mind. Soon, she had forgotten it had even existed.


	6. Adulteress

The ground was growing colder. Or, maybe, her feet had just gotten used to the heat. Which ever it was, it seemed more bearable to walk on now than when it did when she had first arrived here.

How _had_ she arrived here? Wretch pondered that question as she walked beside Lucifer, listening intently to his descriptions of what things were for, what the social status of that particular person on the road was, how much money he had, what kind of weaknesses that he had which would allow one to strip him of them, and other things along those general lines.

"And that woman, there," Lucifer said, pointing at a woman traveling slightly ahead of them on the road. "She has great ambition. She wants to gain the wealth of one of my highest officers." Lucifer laughed. "She thinks that she is the only one who knows. But I know. And I like to use it to my advantage." Wretch stared in admiration that anyone could be so clever. "She'll give her flesh to anyone who she thinks can get her ahead of the game. She has even given herself to me, on occasion. She thinks that doing so will get her wealth... but she is always disappointed. That never keeps her from trying, though!"

Wretched laughed, and shook her head scornfully. "What a foolish slut."

"But you, my dear, are neither foolish nor a slut." Lucifer said, turning to her with a smile.

"Of course not. I know what I want. All I want is you." Wretch said this with adoration, leaning in and embracing him hungrily. "And I aim to have you."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Lucifer whispered. "Just as long as there is love. If we love each other, who's to say that we can't do with each other what we want?"

"Oh, yes, indeed!" Wretch grinned, and lust burned within her in anticipation. "I **do** love you, Lucifer! Please, say that you love me, too!"

"Oh, I do." Lucifer's sincerity made his words seem to pulse, and linger in the air. "I love you very much, Wretch. You are very attractive. I can't think of a single one of my men who wouldn't be thrown into fits at the sight of you."

"And my heart?" The question seemed to catch Lucifer completely off-guard. _Still a shred of innocence lingering? _Lucifer wondered. _How can this be? I killed her spirit. She committed assisted spiritual suicide!_ Then, Lucifer realized what the problem was. There was that voice again, drifting on a breeze which had never before touched this kingdom, until this very day.

_Lily. _

_You are My beloved. _

_I created you to be like Me. _

_You are worth so much more than Lucifer will ever acknowledge._

_Come back to Me, dear._

_Lily._

"Your heart is worthless. Only your image matters to anyone." Lucifer said loudly to block out the Voice.

Wretch turned her eyes downward. "You're right. I have no idea where that stupid thought came from." Lucifer grinned. Excellent progress. How gullible she was!

Now that they had that established, Lucifer pointed his thin finger at another of his subjects traveling nearby, a man this time. "Whenever this man sees something that delights his eye, he just reaches out and grabs it. He has stolen many things for me," Lucifer said wistfully. "He thinks that when he takes he can gain, but every single time, whenever he takes, he lays down his prize at my altar. His debt mounts ever higher with everything he steals."

"Foolish sneak-thief." Wretch sneered.

"Quite so." Lucifer agreed. He pointed to a woman. "This woman conceived against her wishes. When she found out, she went to one of my priests and he killed the brat inside of her. Once it was done, she paid him handsomely for it, and thanked him."

"Well, that's good. She wasn't ready to handle a baby. It probably wasn't convenient for her."

Lucifer nodded. "Quite so." He now pointed to a young man who looked as if he had not yet entered his twentieth year. "This one will not listen to instruction from anyone. He is quite convinced that his is the only way things could possibly be." Lucifer smiled. "He will grow up to be a great priest for me. He has defaced his body by cutting words into it, committing shameful acts with it, and attacking others with it."

Wretch smiled. "I can see that." She looked at him with disdain as he walked past. "He's an idiot now, but just think what you can do with him in the future!"

"And you can help me,dear." Lucifer crooned into Wretch's ear. "Together, we can make all things right."

"I look forward to it." Wretch whispered back, giggling. On a whim, she leaned forward and kissed him vigorously, entwining herself in his arms. He returned the kiss just as eagerly.

Right there, on the road with many streaming past them, they defiled themselves without shame. Lucifer pulled away several times in an unspoken threat to leave, but this prompted Wretch to pull him back again, and continue with more energy.

Far, far away tear-filled eyes watched the adulterous action.

"Adulteress." He whispered. "Once a pure, radiant bride, but now, even before the wedding has come, an adulteress." He shook his head in grief.

However, in His grief, His eyes never lost their brightness. "Lily," He called loudly, "you have played the harlot, and betrayed Me without shame. Be not ignorant of your crime. But know this, even though you blatantly disregard My love for you, I will betroth you to me forever; yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

From across a distance that surpassed miles, Wretch paused in her fornication as these words spoke to her heart.

**Author's Post Script:** For any of those who want to know, the second paragraph spoken by the King is Hosea 2:19-20.


	7. Why Won't You Call Me?

At last, Wretch and Lucifer entered the city. On every street they walked, people would bow before Lucifer, and then hurry away as if frightened.

"They fear me, because I know them," Lucifer told Wretch as an elderly woman scurried away after throwing her a look of mingled jealousy, contempt, and terror. "They know that at any time, I could reveal their hearts to all their friends, and then they would become an object of disdain and hatred for the rest of their lives. They fear me, yet they love me at the same time. It's a pathetic position that they've gotten themselves into."

"Fools," Wretch sneered, leering at a young man who fell to his knees before them, then scuttled away.

As they walked further, they came up to a huge building, made entirely of what looked like frosted ruby. It sat atop a moderate sized-hill, with great half-circles for steps made from onyx leading up to the temple itself. On the steps, temple prostitutes with manacled hands hawked their wares to passers-by, and merchants sold animals to be sacrificed. Several ragged, ugly boys walked around nonchalantly, occasionally dipping their filthy hands into an unwary pedestrian's pocket, then strolling carefully away.

Halfway up, there was a fountain made of copper, which depicted a woman, bound and gagged, tied to an altar. Looming above her was a priest with a long cruel-looking knife. Both had blank staring eyes. One had to look to the mouths to know the intended feelings. The priest's mouth was tight, yet open as if he were starving. The woman's mouth smiled blissfully, as if she did not understand the fate which would befall her.

From the center of the great glittering temple, standing on the roof, rose an idol the size of a large castle. Wretch studied it, her mouth gaping open in awe. It was the image of Lucifer, smiling in his disarming yet sardonic way. The head was made of gold, the chest and arms of gleaming silver, his stomach and upper legs bronze, his calves of iron, and... Wretch had to peer intently to make out the material of the feet, for it was different than the calves.

"Is that... clay?" she asked Lucifer, turning to give him a questioning look.

He grinned. "Yes, it is. The finest porcelain in the kingdom. Mixed in with the finest of iron. To emphasize the strength of our land." Wretch turned her gaze back on the temple, awe widening her eyes. Lucifer laughed, and leaned in close to her ear. "You will see it soon enough, my darling," he whispered. "But first, your royal quarters." Wretch leaned over and kissed him. That sensation that only hours before which happened when their lips locked which had frightened her now drew her. That cold, lustful connection sped her heartbeat, and thrilled her with the sense of danger which she hadn't known before. She was flirting with disaster, but this gave the attraction a stronger gravity. Lucifer pulled back, and winked. "Later," he promised. "We have to arrive first. I want to introduce you to some friends of mine, too."

"I can't wait," Wretch whispered. Lucifer placed his arm around her, and they continued on.

The palace was even more magnificent than the temple. Wretch gasped at the sight of it. Three hundred intricately carved steps of ivory ascended up a hill to meet a gate made of alloyed silver and burnished gold in the shape of a great winged being, the folds of whose robes and the expansion of the wings serving as the door. Crystalline droplets were upon the face of this statue, forming flowing tears. Beneath this ornate door was a paver made from this same clear crystal, looking like the figure had wept itself a salt river. A guard stood on either side of the door, wearing armor of iron styled to look like muscles. The helmet was also of iron, bearing three feather-like spines on either side of the head, and a bar running down the length of the face to conceal the nose. In the hands of each of these guards was an ebony spearshaft, which at the end had attached a spearhead divided in two, with one sticking straight up, with one curling down like a sharp deadly beak. Even Wretch, in her state of delusion, shivered at the sight.

When they spotted their master, both guards bowed, and grabbed the tip of the wing to pull the door open. Wretch walked past them as quickly as possible. The crystal river continued down the length of the hall, pooling into an enormous circle in the center of a grand assembly hall. The crystal lined the sides and bottom of a lily pool the size of a lake. So absorbed with this lovely feature was Wretch that she didn't look at the ceiling. Save for one skylight shaped like a crescent moon, it was completely covered in climbing vines of various breeds. It struck her immediately how very dark everything was inside. Even the few torches hung on the support columns did little to abate it. With the skylight in place, it might have been easier to see if they hadn't been there, so that one could develop a sense of night vision.

The deafening sounds of laughter and splashing came from the lake. Wretch looked closer. Within it were what had to be a hundred women, dressed only in manacles connecting their wrists and grisly black brands on their shoulders, were absorbed in water fights. Wretch looked hard at the tattoo on the nearest girl's shoulder. In the dim light, she could just barely make out the number _6004_.

Wretch started to ask Lucifer what the numbers meant, but he had left her side. Looking around, she found him quite a long way away, standing on a platform which jutted into the pool. He held up a pale hand, and all of the women fell silent.

"Ladies," he called. He didn't have to speak very loud. Maybe it was the acoustics of the hall, but his voice seemed to be magnified to make it seem like he was standing right beside you. Lucifer snapped his fingers, and suddenly, Wretch found herself being picked up by the elbows by two large burly guards. She looked over in shock, and saw that they were more of the type who had been chasing her earlier that day. One had a wolf's tail and bear paws for feet, with the head of a giant snake, and the other had an insect's head with pig hooves for hands. She had almost opened her mouth to scream, when she was deposited beside Lucifer. He waved a hand, and they stepped back. "I would like to introduce you to your new sister." His strong hand grabbed Wretch behind the neck, and pulled her to her feet. "This is Wretch."

Wretch studied the faces of the women before her. All were staring at her, and all had looks of intense loathing upon their faces. Many sniggered, pointing to various parts of her body, then whispered to their neighbors, who nodded, and laughed in return. Wretch's face burned with humiliation as she endured the remote scrutiny. She looked down and examined her own body. She wasn't as shapely as some of the women, and her skin was scratched, burned, and dirty. She had several dark bruises developing. Her hands weren't as pale, her ribs not as pronounced, her legs not as long... she went on and on, condemning each of her features in her mind. She looked around the beautiful room, feeling ashamed to be here. She wasn't beautiful enough. She wasn't as experienced in knowing Lucifer's desires as these women, and not as experienced in fulfilling them. Not for the first time that day, she felt herself identifying with the name Lucifer had given her. She looked at the water. What an ugly face she saw. She went through the list of her rather lovely facial features. Meanwhile, the women were laughing behind their hands, and making coarse jokes and insults in loud whispers that easily carried to everyone present.

"Well, Wretch," Lucifer said, making Wretch turn her gaze back on him, "it's time for your initiation into the palace."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. All the women cheered as a guard walked forward. With a jolt, Wretch realized that she recognized him. He had run after her bearing chains earlier that day. Now, he approached her with eyes burning with satisfaction. He opened the manacles, and held them up for everyone to see. The insides of the cuffs were lined with spikes. Wretch paled, and tried to escape, but Lucifer caught her, and forced her hands outward. Wretch's eyes bulged as the creature approached, and she struggled in vain against her captor. Lucifer didn't even seem to notice. One of his feet hooked her ankle, and bound her in place, completely helpless to defend herself. The creature came very slowly, seeming to savor every second. Very slowly, he put the open cuffs under her wrists, rested the top gently on the her skin, the spikes irritating her skin, and making her twitch all the more violently for escape. He paused. All of the women who had been shouting, laughing, and jeering seconds ago, fell silent in anticipation. The creature held one fist above, one below. They lingered for a second, then they slammed together.

For a moment, all was blackness. Then, everything came shooting back to her at once. The din of the women assaulted her ears. But all that was almost completely masked by her own scream. Loud high, wailing, desperate, and in such tortured pain and horror. Lucifer nodded, and the fists slammed together a second time, over her other wrist. The spikes ripped through her flesh once more. Another scream burst forth. Lucifer released her, and Wretch almost fell into the pool. She vomited from the pain, continuing to weep and scream in her agony.

"The cuffs have, at this point, driven their spikes through your flesh and stuck into your bone," Lucifer informed her as the pain continued to coarse mercilessly through her body. "It has missed all of your vital veins and arteries and holds closed all else severed, so you shall not bleed to death. It is only the tips of the spikes, so your bone will not be fractured. The tips are, however, stuck quite fast in the bone, so removal of these cuffs is impossible." The women shouted mockeries at Wretch in the moment where Lucifer paused. "If it were possible to remove them," Lucifer continued, pacing above her, "and you were foolish enough to do so, be assured, you would remove your only tourniquet against bleeding to death. You depend on these bonds for your life. Just as you will depend on me." Lucifer leaned down, and dragged her back from the edge of the water, up on a slightly raised platform from which rose some sort of tethering post. He beckoned his hand, and a guard came forward. With a clinking of chains, Wretch's chain between the manacles was fastened to the post. "Bring the iron!" Lucifer called.

Wretch just barely managed to raise her head, and what she saw made her faint. Lucifer slipped on a pair of brass knuckles, and slapped her hard across the face. Wretch came to, her vision swimming. There were two guards- no, one- approaching, holding something which glowed red. Vapors in the surrounding air shimmered with the heat.

"No, please!" Wretch wailed to Lucifer, who stood over her right shoulder with his arms folded. One look at his face showed her that she would obtain no mercy. She was the entertainment for the day. The women laughed to hear her begging for reprieve.

There was a sickening sizzle, and Wretch's scream resounded in the hall once more. All she heard in response was laugher, and applause and cheering. Her skin was burning, no, melting under the heat. Steam poured from her new wound as all the liquids in her skin evaporated all at once. The skin was so badly damaged that it couldn't even blister in response. The brand had stuck slightly, so the creature bearing it jerked it away hard to free it. The parting of company with the brand sent a new wave of agony ripping through her body.

"I present to you," Lucifer shouted, "Number 6667!" Wretch was released from the tethering pole. Before she'd even had a chance to slump to the ground, Lucifer grabbed her just below the brand, and wrenched her arm into the air for all to see. Wretch hung suspended from her new master's hold. Once he was satisfied that all had seen enough, Lucifer threw her aside to land with her wrists underneath her. "This is one who once walked in union with our Enemy!" he shouted. "One with whom He shared His Love! One with whom He promised to become wed! One who once was called His lover, and His bride!" The women booed Wretch, and everyone close enough spat on her, and those too far away threw rocks from the bottom of the pond. "Now," Lucifer continued, and the women stopped to hear his words, "she has chosen me to be her husband instead. She wishes to be joined to me, rather than the One who gave her His protection," this last word was said with an almost acidic sneer. "she has already given herself to me, and held nothing back. She is with child now, and she shall give birth to my son. What shall we name him?"

"Sin!" a concubine shouted, and the rest of them roared their approval. Soon, choruses of "Sin! Sin! Sin!" filled the room.

"In her lust, she has conceived! And she will give birth to Sin! He shall always be a part of her, and he shall always rule over her. She will not be able to resist him. He will have his way with her every moment he desires! May this be the fate of the most beloved of the Enemy, who _dared_ take my glory from me!"

The concubines shouted in malicious delight, and began to chant again. This time, "SPILL HIS BLOOD! RIP HIS FLESH! KILL HIS LOVE!"

"We shall kill His love, ladies," Lucifer shouted with a grin, "but not yet." Then he turned, and looked scathingly down at Wretch. "This is one who desired to give herself to me, body and allegiance," he said softly, yet all present still heard him. "She thought perhaps to join herself to me as my wife. Well, she shall have her wedding night. She shall spend this night in the guard house!" Screams of laughter greeted this news. When Wretch realized what this meant, she began to beg Lucifer for mercy once again, she cowered at his feet, and begged him to spare her. With a look of contempt, he kicked her hard in the face, and sent her sprawling backward. The women laughed once more.

With tears unparalleled by even Lily during these proceedings, One looked on. He watched these things happen, longing to tear all who would dare harm or mock His love limb from limb in order that justice would be served, but He didn't.

He felt every moment of Lily's pain and despair, added to His own grief. "Lily," He whispered, shining tears dampening his robe, "why don't you call Me that I may deliver you?"


	8. I Will Never Leave or Forsake You

**Author's Note:** Finally, I have written the eighth chapter. It starts sad, but it ends rather happy, so enjoy!

When Wretch finally woke up the next day, the first thing she did was to vomit all over the floor. She pulled back, gasping and gagging, as memories from the previous night tormented her, mocking her and bringing her almost physical pain from the horror.

A small, squalid creature which shielded itself from her eyes squatted behind her, intoxicated by every shudder, every whimper. In a strange language that darted right past her ears and straight into her mind, he whispered to her.

"_Is this all that you're worth?_" it hissed with sardonic twist of the rotted lips. "_You're worthless. You're disgusting. Nobody will want you now._" The thing called her a filthy name, and Wretch, with tears flowing slowly, nodded subconsciously. The thing continued to whisper things to her. Her sorrow increased with every syllable, and her tears gripped her all the harder. She began to rock with her sobbing. After less than a minute, the creature stopped. Her own mind was already repeating the things which it had said, and there was no need for it to remain, except to drink in her pain like a fine wine.

Wretch, wailing with self-loathing, bent over, and knocked her head hard against the ground. Unfortunately, that was the spot where she had vomited earlier, and realizing this, she cried out in disgust, slapping at her hair in a vain attempt to get the sick out. Her unsuccess frustrated her even more, and she shrieked in her seething vat of emotions. She scrambled backward, and ran into one of the walls of her prison cell. She turned around, and slammed her fists furiously against the bars. Anger distracted her from her pain and shame.

"Let me out of here!" She howled. "Let me go!" Nobody answered her. The creature snickered, which manifested itself as more shame within Wretch's mind. Blinding white pain shot through her arms as they registered the abuse they'd just received. This ripped a further cry from her throat, and she collapsed backward, further defiling herself in the mess. She lay there, sobbing both from her arms, frustration, and from remembering the previous day's events. The creature hovered over her, shuddering from the vast amount of pain radiating from her heart and mind. It drank it in, eyes rolled back in its head, putrid lips pulled back wide in wicked, twisted pleasure.

"Oh please," Wretch wept. "Please," the creature leaned forward, looking forward to another tide of intense emotion. "Please help me," Wretch sobbed. Something foreign entered her mind. "Oh King, my Love, please help me." The creature's eyes bulged, and it reeled backward as if an immense wave had thrown it hard against the bars.

The prison flooded with light. A set of footsteps, ringing like a great silver bell, approached her cell. Wretch scrambled backward against the wall, terrified at what might be coming around the corner. The Light grew steadily brighter, and Wretch found herself holding her hand in front of her eyes as protection. Such was the nature of the light that she could even see it through the flesh of her hand.

The creature which had been tormenting her was squeaking and squawking in its desperation to get away, but the iron bars trapped it. Normally, the creature could walk straight through them, but now it found itself bound. Suddenly, a great, luminous being came into sight. Wretch gasped, and fell to her knees, shaking in fear. A sword was in His hand, and it swept through the bars. As it whizzed through the air, the creature's head fell to the floor, and became visible to Wretch's eyes. It was a terrifying thing to behold, but Wretch was more afraid of breaking her submissive stance.

The sword was sheathed. The cell door opened. The Shining One dropped down on His knees. "They've hurt you," He whispered. This voice, though lovely in Wretch's ears, terrified her further. It seemed to remind her of something once splendid... something which had been hers, but which she had now rejected. She felt immeasurable guilt at being in His presence.

His gentle hand reached down, and lifted up her face toward his. Upon seeing his face, Wretch howled in terror, and jumped backward, and cowered in the corner. "Please, don't make me look at You," she whimpered. "I'll die of fright! All I can think of when I look at Your face is all the things I've done to You. I just can't bear it!"

The King sat silently, listening intently to her words. This, for some reason, urged Wretch to continue.

"I- I gave myself to him, and then he gave me to his soldiers! Can't You see I'm not fit for You? I'm worthless, I'm disgusting! Why are You still sitting there? Why did You even bother to come for me?" Holding her hand over her face as a precaution, she turned toward Him. She could see his face like a blur through her hand. Even the vague outline of Him made her shiver in fear.

The King reached out His hand. For a moment, Wretch was afraid He'd make her put her hand down, but it was for her other hand that He reached. "You are not worthless," He whispered. "_I would_ _die_ _for you._" He leaned in closer, and whispered into her ear, "_I love you._" Wretch was breathless with shock. The Lord placed His arms around her, and immediately, all the pain seemed to fade away, because of the warmth of that embrace. "_Lily._"

"Wha-what did you say?" Wretch asked, nearly dumbstruck.

"Your name is Lily. You are the Lily of the Valley of the King."

"Lily," she repeated softly. "I vaguely remember..." She thought for a moment. "You won't leave me, will You?" she asked, with a plaintive note in her voice.

The King chuckled, and gently brushed her cheek with His lips. "I will never leave you or forsake you."

For the first time that day, Lily's tears were that of joy.


	9. Only Death Can Part Us

** Author's Note: **I am back... finally. Sorry about the mega-long wait. Not much actually happens this chapter, but it is essential information if you want to understand how the King saves Lily... and how Jesus saves us. God bless, here's the chapter!

_Lily. Lily. My name is Lily..._ she thought over and over again, desperate to not lose this wonderful revelation. _I may be wretched, but Wretch is not my name. There is One who loves me, and He will never let me go. I must never let Him go._ Lily sat in the King's embrace, thinking these things with such determination that she wouldn't have been surprised if the words had been carved into her brain.

"I will always be with you," the King said softly as He stroked her hair.

His very presence had made the old crusted blood and vomit disintegrate into the air. His touch caused her wounds to mend together seamlessly. Only the brand of Lucifer remained on her arm. Though all other wounds had been healed, that one remained. She was in the presence of the King, but she was still the property of the adversary.

"However," He continued, "you will not always be aware of my presence. When you and Lucifer kissed, something of him entered through your mouth in the form of a serpent. This serpent has the authority to make you do things, and many times he will even make you despise Me.

"Once you have given birth to Lucifer's son, you will no longer desire Me. You will only want to walk in his ways. Everything else will seem abominable to you." He pulled back, and Lily saw the seriousness of His eyes through her hand. "As we speak, this serpent child that you carry consumes your heart. It is eating it, and poisoning it as it goes. In your current state, it is impossible for you to truly love Me. It will be extremely difficult, but I urge you: you must do as I say, even when it seems hateful to you. You are irrational from the serpent's ailment even now."

Lily could feel the evidence of what He was saying within her. Though she now felt happy to be in the King's presence, the feeling didn't flow through all of her. There was a section which she felt around her middle that seemed bitter and cold. It seethed with every word He spoke. Lily did her best to ignore it, but it just seemed to get stronger. This made Lily feel guilty. "I promise," she said with a desperate twinge, "I'll do everything I can to keep this from spreading. I will be good enough for You, I'll work my hardest at it!" To Lily's surprise and dismay, the King instantly recoiled. She could see a look of enormous disgust, as if she'd just slapped Him in the face with a filthy toilet rag. "What is it?" Lily asked nervously.

"The serpent is manifesting itself already," the King whispered. "It mocks Me through your lips. Pride truly is the most putrid of attitudes."

"What did I say that was proud?" Lily asked, starting to feel a bit angry. "All I said was that I'd try really hard to be good enough for You. Isn't that what You want?"

The Lord hissed slightly, and spoke in labored tones: "No, that is the last thing I want. You could not be further from My desire by trying such a thing. As for your question, your pride lies in the assumption that you are capable of your goal."

"How can You say that?" she growled. "I thought You just wanted me to obey You! Now, You're saying that that isn't good enough for You! Pray, tell me, what IS good enough for You?"

"Lily," He said softly. "Reach out your hand, and touch My palm." Lily did as commanded, but when her fingers reached His hand, she felt nothing there. Her eyes told her that she had achieved contact, but she couldn't feel it. She moved her hand further, but it appeared that her hand had passed right through His flesh. "You are of one substance, and I am of another." He explained. "I can touch you whenever I want to. I can make Myself manifest to you. However, you are of a different substance. You can never see Me, touch Me, or hear Me by your own power. I am in a completely different place than you are, but I can show Myself to you whenever I please. If you reach out to Me, you'll never touch Me. If you speak to Me, you will never hear My answer. We interact now only by My decision. While being of your current substance, you cannot possibly perform a single action which could draw us together."

"But-" Lily was confused, and angry at her confusion at the same time. She fought to find words. She tried again. "But, can't I somehow become... of Your substance? I was once, wasn't I?"

"You were once... in a way." the King said. "My substance is called _spirit._ Spirit can manifest and mend itself to flesh, but flesh can never touch spirit by its own efforts. You were once a triune being, like I am. We were triune in different ways, but we were similar in this way. You were composed of flesh, spirit, and soul. Your soul is your mind, will, and emotions. Your spirit, when it was living, connected you to Me, and it allowed you to sense and communicate with Me. Do you remember when I told you that you would die if you entered the wasteland?"

Lily nodded. "I remember. But You lied to me. I didn't die. I almost wish I could have, but I didn't."

The King winced again. "Dear, I see all things as they were, are, and will be, all at the same time. I know all things, and I hold no ill will against you. I am not a man that I should lie or change my mind."

"So, why did you tell me that I would die if I didn't die?" Lily asked.

"Part of you died. The part which connects you to Me. Your spirit died the very second that you took the deceiver's word above Mine, and entered the realm in which you did not belong. You are still triune, but the third element which allows you to interact freely with Me lies dead within you. You are broken beyond repair. In addition to this, by the laws that I have created, you carry a sentence of death."

"Death of my other two aspects?" Lily asked, ashen-faced.

"Death of all three. Your death comes in two stages: death of your spirit by your sin, and the death of your soul and flesh by the irreparable damage of your body. You have already suffered the first."

"But... all this... just because of _one_ _small _act of disobedience?" Lily said, trembling.

The King bowed His head. Great gleaming tears flowed from His beautiful eyes. Lily felt horrible. Her 'small' act of disobedience had obviously caused Him more pain than she could ever imagine. "There were always two options," He whispered. "First, to live and share in My love and joy. Second, to separate yourself from Me. I am the source of all good things. Even the thrill you found in your adultery with Lucifer was a twisting of one of My gifts to you. When you take away life, joy, beauty and contentment, all that is left is sorrow, terror, ugliness, ill-satisfaction, pain, and death. The fruits of the second option are by their very nature a penalty. An unending penalty which you will have to endure without the supposed release of death. By rejecting Me, you have chosen the second option."

"Okay, I change my mind!" Lily said desperately, laughing madly in an attempt to lessen the growing terror inside of her. "I don't want to suffer eternal death! I want to enjoy Your gifts!"

The King looked up, and though her hand made a barrier between their gazes, His eyes had no trouble meeting hers. Lily shuddered, and looked away in terror. Terror of what she was compared to what He was. "It's too late," He said softly. "Once your spirit has died, you cannot choose life. There is no life that you can choose. To attain My life, you must resurrect your spirit, and that cannot be done."

"But I thought You said that You would redeem me," Lily said, starting to weep a bit. "If You can't save me, and I can't save myself, then how could what you promised possibly come true?"

The King's eyes sparkled. "I am the King of impossibility. Trust Me when I say that it is impossible that you can come back to life, but trust Me also when I say that I will redeem you."

"But... how could those two possibly fit together?" Lily asked, bewildered.

With a gleam in His eye, the King winked. "You shall see. I will give you a new heart."

"What good is a new heart to a practically dead person?" Lily asked, having a rather hard time understanding all of this, and irritated that He didn't make Himself clearer.

"That is what you shall see," the King said with a laugh, as if He couldn't wait to do it. He rubbed His hands together in delighted anticipation. He reached out, and embraced her yet again. The warmth flooded back, but she still didn't understand. It was still a mystery to her.

"Now, I have set before you life and death," the King said as He released her and stood up, "take my advice: choose life. You do not understand how I can give it to you, but have faith in Me. I never break my promises. What I have promised, you will receive, even if you don't know how."

The King was fading, the light was growing dimmer. Lily leapt to her feet when she realized what was happening. But by the time she could open her mouth to object, the King had vanished from sight. "I thought You said that You would never leave me!" she shouted, now lowering her hand and looking around desperately. She hoped that He would hear her.

_I am still here,_ came a soft whisper that seemed to originate from everywhere at once.

"Why can't I see You?" Lily asked, not entirely reassured.

_You have chosen not to see Me. You blocked my image with your hand._

"But that doesn't mean I wanted You to vanish!" she wailed.

_My image causes you pain, and you have chosen not to endure it. I won't force any aspect of Myself on you that your heart does not desire. Your heart doesn't desire to see My face. Therefore, I will not make you look upon Me._

"Okay." Lily said, more relieved than sad. She felt ashamed of this relief, but it didn't go away. "You'll still be there, right?" she asked.

_Even when you don't want Me to be. My presence is the one thing you can never make me take away. Only death can part us._


	10. Hallucinations

**Author's Note:** _Some_ people (you know who you are ;)) have demanded a new, good chapter addition in order to make up for my long absence. Hopefully, this will meet your needs for installation 10. I just got to Florida yesterday, and am visiting family, so yay! Have fun with the new chapter, and I'll have fun at Busch Gardens ;)

For a while after the King had withdrawn His visage from her sight, Lily continued to talk to Him, and He answered gladly. Their conversation was animated for quite a while, but then Lily started to trail off, and the King with her. After a couple of hours, they sat in silence. With the disease overcoming her and there being no image of Him to jog her memory, the King was soon pushed to the back of Lily's mind. She began to feel bored, and started to drum her fingers on the bars, grumbling that she'd like to be let out. The King, unaddressed, remained silent.

Every once in a while, one of the monstrous guards would walk by, and she'd flatten herself against the opposite wall of her cell, trembling in terror. They, for the most part, ignored her. The odd one would leer at her, or growl something that was probably derogatory in a language that she couldn't understand. The guttural squealing, barking, and hissing made her skin prickle and her limbs tremble. The King, unasked, did not alleviate her fear.

Just as Lily was starting to fall asleep, a guard with the head of a badger, the body of a man, and the claws of a scorpion pulled a key from its belt and unlocked her cell door. Lily leapt up, and shrank back fearfully. The thing stashed its key, and grabbed the chain between her wrists, and jerked her unmercifully forward. White hot complaint shot through her arms and she bit back a wail. The thing swept along at a pace Lily couldn't keep up with. It ended up dragging her, and not even seeming to notice the dead weight hanging from its arm. A heavy deadbolt was dragged back on a door, and it was jerked open. Lily was unceremoniously flung outside. She could feel new bruises developing where the old ones had been healed by the King's touch.

Before her eyes even had a chance to adjust to the new burst of light, she felt something soft and blanketlike being draped around her shoulders, and a strong pair of arms embracing her tenderly. Assuming that it was the King, she didn't pull away. A soft voice was cooing, "It's okay, you will be safe now. Don't be afraid, my darling." This voice didn't belong to the King, but the voice was so kind, and the hug was so warm and comforting...

Lily began to sob as memories of last night assaulted her again like a spiked club. The arms encircling her tightened, and gentle fingers caressed her back and hair. "You're safe now," the voice said again softly, full of comfort and honey. "I'm going to take you to a place where nothing like this will ever happen to you again." Suddenly, slight pressure was on her wrists. Lily's eyes bulged, and her earthshattering shriek split the air. "Sorry, I'm so sorry," the voice said desperately, and its owner let go of her quickly and backed up. Lily's eyes were swimming with stars and tears, so all she could see of him was a vague misty outline which went from one silhouette to two as her head spun with pain.

"Here," he offered, and his fuzzy image held out its hand, with something in it. "Eat this, it will make you feel better." A tiny part of Lily's mind wondered if she should trust this man enough to eat his food. He had only hugged her, after all. That didn't make him a good person. But then, it was a _very_ tiny part of Lily's mind after all. She reached out and took the offered food. Wincing as she moved her arms, she ate it.

Her vision cleared, her pain dulled, and her heart rate returned to normal. Lily sighed in great relief, and took another huge bite out of the fruit. Her worries fled, her painful memories of the past departed, and her fear disintegrated. Smiling and laughing, she ripped another section of the fruit. A sense of adventure entered her, and she felt a longing to ride the tiger, to fence with Death... to do something wonderously daring and dangerous, and then laugh it off as if it had been nothing whilst within her heart treasuring the delicious rush of flirting with danger. She looked up at the man, eyes wide with thrill. She leapt to her feet, laughing and dancing.

The man watched, smiling and laughing also. "I am glad to see that you enjoy my fruit," he said, watching her cavort. "It is one of the many delightful fruits we grow in my palace. We grow them in great quantities."

"I would greatly love to see your palace, sir," Lily said smiling as he rose gracefully to his feet. He took her in his arms again, and kissed her forehead.

"You are on the grounds right now." he told her. He waved expansively at the area in general. Lily looked, and gasped. The area was gorgeous. Above them spread an enormous Banyan tree, with its strange yet wonderful aerial root system hanging down from the branches to meet the ground. Considering carefully, Lily estimated that it must spread for at least half a mile. The ground was covered in a damp spongy emerald green grass, interrupted by the occasional bush of bright tropical flowers or spray of fiery orange mountain lillies. A bright, glassy pond lay about a stone's throw to the right, full of cattails and surrounded by perfect sitting rocks. Between the Banyan tree and the pond, about a mile away stood a vast marble palace, which glowed golden in the setting sun. A nearby basil tree flavored the air with a delicious savory smell. A path made of mossy river stones went from the guard house to the palace. The palace's owner (a king, perhaps?) watched Lily closely, smiling at her awe at the beauty of his property.

"You enjoy my home?" he asked her. At a loss for words, Lily nodded as she took it all in. "Everything that you see here is my creation." he informed her calmly. "Even you yourself are my creation. I made you, and I love you."

Lily paused. "You made me?" she asked, bewildered. She thought for a second, looking around, and then turned back to him. "But- why can't I remember?"

"I'm afraid that the fruit doesn't remove all ill effects that you had before you ate it," he said apologetically. "You are still rather confused and forgetful, and at times have even hallucinated things. For example, you had some rather nasty illusions of terrible things being done to you yesterday." He paused, pain filling his eyes. He looked away from her. "You even hallucinated that _I_ had done some of these things to you." Tears trickled slowly from the corners of his eyes, and Lily was touched, and exceedingly sad to have been the cause of his pain. She walked over, and spread her elbows to slip the chain between the manacle behind his head, the best she could do for a comforting hug. He wrapped his arms around her in return, and kissed her deeply on the lips. "It was heartbreaking," he said softly after the contact of their lips had been broken. "My dearest, most beloved creation stood screaming and weeping before me, pleading with me to stop harming her, or to get others to stop. You stood there before me, having violent visions which no one could stop, and nobody could comfort you or even make you see them. I took you outside the palace to see the city's best physician, and all the way we had to hold you down to keep you from hurting yourself. And you thought that we were forcing you to-" he broke off, as if it were too painful for him to continue.

"But I'm better now, right?" Lily asked fearfully.

"Mostly," he replied. "However, you are still prone to some mild hallucinations. My guards tell me that you were convinced that you were talking to someone in your bedroom. They were standing guard outside your door, and they heard you start sobbing, and then talking to someone. They were afraid someone had broken in, or that you were having another episode, so they went in and checked on you. You were wrapping your arms around thin air."

"So," she said reluctantly, "there's no King, then?"

"My dear," he said softly, stroking her hair with a sad expression, "I am the only king in this world. I have several officials under me, but the royal throne belongs to me alone. If you truly have met someone who calls himself king, then it is treason and he must be put to death."

Lily looked down quickly. "He was a great man," she said softly. "But He wasn't a man in the way that you are. He said that He was made of a substance called _spirit._ Spirit could touch, but not be touched unless it allowed the contact. He was perfect in love and kindness, and knew all things. He wrapped Himself in all of the light of the heavens. And wherever He entered in, all darkness perished."

"He sounds like a truly wonderful story," he replied. "But I'm afraid we have no such beings in this place. In fact, I would be absolutely shocked if they existed anywhere at all."

She kept her gaze directed downward. She felt a deep sadness in thinking that the One who had loved her, comforted her, and even saved her might not even exist after all. How much hallucinating had she done before this man, her creator, had cured her? She looked up at him. "Thank you very much for curing me, and then taking the time to explain things to me."

"Of course, my dear." he said softly, and hugged her tightly. He kissed her hair and forehead tenderly. "Come, let us go home."

"Yes," Lily said softly.

A shining being hidden from mortal eyes stood high up on the partition with crossed arms, watching as the woman and the rotting one in a tattered robe walked across the parched dead ground toward the fire-blackened castle.


	11. Eat and Remember

**Author's Note:** Hey, everyone, sorry about the wait, but I'm sorry to say, you're probably accustomed to it ;) I'm afraid I'm probably not going to improve over the summer, though. Looks like a really busy season at the dinner theater this year, which is a good thing :)

"She's dying," the servant said softly.

"She is dead already." The King replied forlornly. "Only her last two elements remain now."

"If she is dead, how then can she be saved?" the servant asked. This was not the first time he had posed this question. He hoped that it would be the first time it was answered.

"In My method." The King answered, in the method of His non-answers. It was His way of saying _wait and see._

The servant sighed. "Well," he said slowly, "I suspect that Your method involves passage of time in her world, am I correct?" The King nodded. "Do you wish me to sustain her remaining elements while she waits, or do You intend to do that personally?"

"Both of us will. You and she will be friends, so she should get to know you as well." The servant nodded this time.

"Do You wish me to go now, or do you reserve that for Yourself?"

"The first visit is Mine; however, you shall make the second." The servant dipped his head and left.

Lily was in the palace, sleeping peacefully in the room she and Lucifer shared. Lucifer himself had long since gotten up, for he had no use for sleep. He was a restless sort, never stopping in a place longer than he needed to. His intelligence and experience lent him efficiency most of the time, and so his time needed for lingering was usually short.

To humans such as Lily, he seemed to have the patience of a stone. He could wait for what seemed an unbearable amount of time for his purposes to come to pass; but with a fractured aspect such as hers, she could stand to wait little more than a month (and that was torture). Lucifer could wait thousands of years. Not even a fraction of a second in the eternal perspective. His servants (or his equals, as he called them to placate them) were rather more impatient than that, but he made do with them for the moment. Often, Lucifer missed the advantages that came with subservience to the King, but never the subservience itself. He remembered the days when a million years seemed like hardly a heartbeat to him, and wished that he could have retained that, but maintained that patience was a suitable trade for freedom. Better a king in Hell than a servant in Heaven. Particularly to such a creature as this human that lay on the mattress before him. He looked at her form. _So weak._ He considered her beauty. _The palest shadow compared to mine. _He thought of her mind. _So slow... so inferior to my own._ And yet, the King had pledged His love- even a throne! Lucifer shook his head in disgust and hatred. He looked at the big silver mirror on the opposite wall. Yes, his beauty had been eaten away upon his rebellion, but he could still see flashes of what he had been. Closing his eyes, he remembered the countenance which had looked back when he had looked in a surface while a servant. He sighed. _Pity I couldn't have kept it, but it is a suitable trade for freedom._

He looked back at the mattress, and his heart tightened. _Lowly creature! Why has He given the crown of glory to such a weak, forgetful, faithless, talentless, worthless, stupid, fickle, gullible worm? I was truly the highest of beauty, the highest of intellect, the best in music. And yet, it was not I He honored, but He took my honor and wasted it upon a fool._ If he had lesser self-control, Lucifer's hands might have clenched. But he was careful to keep all things that he truly thought veiled. Not even a shadow of what he felt or thought passed on his face or in his movements. Everything he projected was carefully calculated to recieve his desired response. Some who were arrogant thought that they could see past his deception; but in their pride they never considered that perhaps their own intelligence regarding him was a deception. In guarding against one deception, they were easily ensnare by another. The one he loved to use the most was the notion that they could defeat him on their own power. Whether by befriending him or defeating him by might. As one had aptly coined it, he caught them coming and going.

Lucifer studied Lily a bit more, and then left. She would be giving birth soon.

Later that day, Lily was awake, and was wandering around the palace grounds. It was still as beautiful as ever. She spent some time sitting beneath the banyan tree. She tried to put her hands behind her head, but the manacles caused her too much pain to allow that, so she just sat with her back to the tree with her hands in her lap.

A whispering ran through the leaves of the tree and across the tips of the grass, and in ripples across the pond. Lily waited for the breeze responsible to touch her, but it never did. Something warm spread through her body, tingling when it came to her toes and fingertips. Her eyes widened in excitement. For a moment, she could see a flash of the land. This land was scarred, and twisted. The banyan tree above her was still a banyan tree, but it was the mere fragment of what it had been.

_You are in the desert._ Something seemed to whisper to her. Then, a brightness seemed to swallow her and blot out all else. Images flashed before her eyes, while the voice continued its narration. _What you have seen is a reminder of what the land used to be._ It explained._ You see life barely flickering in the body of the land, and that life that you see will serve as a reminder of Me. Remember, when you see beauty in the land, to think of the place you once called home. Heaven and Earth were once one because of my presence on Earth. I gave you the Earth to rule, and it was yours under my supervision. You could do with it what you wished. Then, you gave yourself to someone else. And with yourself, you gave him the land. _The lush garden that He had been showing her changed to the burning waste He had first showed her. _This is what has happened as a result. Heaven and Earth are now divorced. Earth has been severely torn by the separation, and is under a curse; along with all things that walk on her. It is the home of evil, now. _A hopeful note entered this dark revelation. _Not all life has departed from Earth, though. Not all hope is dead. I still love what I have created, and will redeem all of it. You will be the first to recieve redemption. Stay faithful to Me. Do not deny Me. When you don't see Me, keep thinking about Me. Especially when you are with Lucifer. He is dangerous. Stay away from him. Don't eat his fruit, and do not drink his water. I will provide for you everything that you need. Trust me, for I love you and I will deliver you._ The light and the images passed, and Lily was left reeling on the lawn.

When her vision cleared, Lily saw a bright magenta fruit in front of her. Her mouth watered at the sight of it, and her stomach growled unexpectedly. Her sides burning with hunger, Lily reached forward and snatched up the fruit. She smelled it. The fragrance hit her like a weight. It was so wondeful, she felt paralyzed by the joy of smelling it. Her eyes slitted in her happy intoxication, she took a bite.

This fruit was like the fruit that Lucifer had given her, only far more powerful. Joy more intense than she could remember having felt before surged through her. She eagerly consumed the rest of the fruit. All thoughts gave way to a simple but overwhelming happiness. She didn't feel like flirting with danger or riding tigers anymore. She simply wanted to remain in the embrace of the One whose provision and love were so sweet.

As she was reflecting on this, another soft tendril of the voice drifted to her. _I am coming soon. Eat, and remember, My precious little one._


End file.
